2. The Group

…Is made from the participants and supports them.

Shared Experience and social interactions

As well as a way of community arts to be more cost-effective for organisation and funding, there are key benefits to working within groups.

For older people particularly there are many physical, mental and emotional health benefits to group activities. Developing social networks and support systems can all help in successful and healthy ageing and improved quality of life.

Avoidance of social detachment and Social interactions

There are many factors that may affect or contribute to social isolation, including gender, marital status, wealth and geographical location (Jivraj et al., 2012: 48-83). Regardless of the causes and contributing factors many sources suggest that there are positive effects to active group engagement.

Maderer & Skiba (2006a) collate some of the effects of geragogicial interventions from some of their other studies. Within these there are several positive findings, which include stabilising of cognitive competence, a higher level of behaviour competence, increase of social interaction (and meaningful interaction) as well as an increased life expectancy for those in nursing homes (p.148).

Perlstein & Larson (2003) also discuss research into successful aging and quality of life through social activities and the arts. They conclude that social engagement and productive activities are key factors in healthy ageing (pp145-146).

Connections and shared experience

For group work there has to be a safe and enjoyable space in which to enter (Larson & Perlstein, 2003). It can be a place where information and feelings are shared in a non-judgemental space as a microcosm of society.

Ideas and problems can be solved collectively and co-operatively as a team in “a natural unselfconscious action-based approach” (Lawson, 2006: 19). And art can be the connecting language for the participants.

Peer-support

The group can support each other internally to form the inner circle with the three spheres of integrative geragogy (Maderer & Skiba, 2006b:156). This close connection within a group there can be a “comforting sense of community” and Nel Noddings’ idea of an “ethics of care” – where individuals can have the complex roles of “carers” and “cared fors” simultaneously (Barrett, 2011: 94).

Other organisations may use more built-in approaches such as buddy systems (Larson & Perlstein, 2003). Personally I think there are several issues with this idea within our group context; such as the exclusiveness of selecting people to pair together, ‘cliques’ could emerge through the safety of just talking to one individual but I feel the real issue is the potential of over-burdening individuals with the perceived responsibility of other’s mental health.

Group dynamics and microcosms.
Another area to consider within group work is the dynamics and roles within them. These roles can be fluid, as well as personalities influencing the group. It is always important to consider the implications this may have on the output of work.

Yalom’s (1995) approach, as cited in Forsyth’s chapter on therapeutic group dynamics, discusses the idea that the group’s interpersonal processes can achieve change, believing that mental health issues such as depression or anxiety have a social source. By developing within a group setting the unit is a “social microcosm” (629-630). I’m not sure how much causation or correlation there may be with ‘social sources’, but I agree there may be social and cultural effects on individual’s mental well-being in which the group can be a ‘testing ground’ for interactions in the ‘real world’.

Greater Than the Sum

The group is very compassionate and encouraging of each other and are a support structure within the sessions. For some in the group, the art session is the only form of activity or structured social interaction they have.

I have experienced with groups in the mental well-being field that there is a shared experience just through the struggles of life and with that comes common ground and a level of empathy and understanding – if someone is having a bad day, it’s ok as everyone can have bad days. The group members can also appreciate just how much hard work there can be involved in just getting to the session, both practically and emotionally and it is always nice to see members when they come to the group.

This exhibition project was created in order to develop the cohesion of the group. I have found that individual are very engaged and active in sessions, but I feel that they are reluctant to work together. As group work and team building are a rich source of developmental work I felt it would be good to create more opportunities to work together – and with an end goal.

Some of the response the group gave while creating the book:

Being part of a group .. helps me to.../makes me feel...
A part of something

• Very good Happy with friends and people
• Nice to be recognised just for myself and not what grade or job I am doing
• Happy
• Feel useful
• Get different ideas
• I enjoy it because it keeps me busy – I don’t like to be alone.
• I’d like to thank you for getting me back to painting for fun at home – which I haven’t done for a few years whilst I’ve not been well.

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